On June 11, during Xbox’s big not-E3 showcase, we got our first real look at Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft’s big open-world Star Wars game that’s being developed by Massive, the same folks behind the popular Tom Clancy’s The Division games.
While the trailer was a bit short, Ubisoft followed it up with a longer gameplay video during its Summer Game Fest Ubisoft Forward. Between these videos and a developer walkthrough, I was able to learn a lot about this next big Star Wars game, which is set to launch on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC sometime in 2024.
Kotaku is covering everything Summer Game Fest, from the main show on Thursday to other events happening throughout the next week. Whether you’re into larger-than-life triple-A games or intimate, offbeat indies, you can keep up with all things SGF here.
The main characters of Star Wars Outlaws
The star of this upcoming open-world Star Wars adventure is the scoundrel Kay Vess, played by Humberly González. She’s a new character created for this game, but she already feels like a perfect fit for the universe thanks to her attitude and rad jacket. She also has a pet/sidekick, Nix, who is a small alien creature known as a Merqaal. Nix is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
Interestingly, during combat, Nix can grab weapons of fallen enemies and bring them to Vess. Nix can also attack enemies and be used as a distraction. So he’s not just cute, he’s useful, too!
When is Star Wars Outlaws set?
In the trailer we hear Vess explain that the “Empire is everywhere” which seemed to indicate to me that this is set during the Original Trilogy of films. Ubisoft has confirmed that to be the case, specifying that Outlaws takes place between the events of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
It’s an interesting time period to set a Star Wars game, as the rebellion is scrambling after the devastating attack on Hoth alongside the Empire scrambling after the first Death Star was destroyed. The galaxy at this time is likely filled with a lot of desperate people willing to do business with shadier folks like Vess. And we see that in the gameplay trailer, with an Imperial officer trying to make a deal with Vess in a dingy bar.
What’s the story of Ubisoft’s Star Wars game?
Right now, we don’t know much about the actual plot. Instead, the trailer focused more on worldbuilding and setup. However, Ubisoft and Lucasfilm both confirmed that Vess will have to pull off “one of the greatest heists” the galaxy has ever seen. This is likely what another character in the trailer, Jaylen, is referring to when he mentions an opportunity for Vess that will let her escape all the people chasing her. It’s the classic “One Last Job” story, but with droids and space pirates.
The criminal underworld of Outlaws
In the trailer, we hear Vess mention the deadly and dangerous criminal underworld of Star Wars. Based on this trailer and what Ubisoft has said so far about the game, it seems likely Outlaws is going to involve a lot of shady people and aliens in bars and cantinas around the universe.
We see some of this in the trailer, with Vess playing Sabacc (a famous Star Wars card game seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story) against an aqualish and a quarren. She’s likely cheating and they are likely ready to kill her, but then some other people looking for her enter the bar and a big fight breaks out, letting her escape into the open fields of Toshara.
The devs also confirmed that alongside the Pyke Syndicate, players will also deal with the Hutts and a new faction, too. During specific moments, Ubisoft will let players choose what to say or do, and these moments will affect how criminals and other groups treat Vess.
Outlaws contains some Star Wars prequel references
An easy-to-miss detail that pops up during the trailer is that, during her escape, we see Vess and her pet run by some large engines that look a lot like podracer engines. Podracing is a dangerous type of racing that was first seen in action in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
Another interesting connection to this era of Star Wars is Vess’ droid companion, ND-5, who is seen in the trailer wearing a cool coat. ND-5 is a BX Commando droid and they were first seen in The Clone Wars animated series but have since popped up in other places, like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Kay Vess has a modular (and fancy) blaster
During the gameplay video released on June 12, we see Vess fighting off baddies using her trusty blaster. But we also see her switching its firing modes on the fly, at one point letting her zap an enemy shield. Ubisoft further explained that you’ll be able to find and upgrade new blaster modules that will give you more options during combat.
Ubisoft also says Kay Vess will learn and upgrade new abilities throughout the game, becoming a better and deadlier scoundrel as players progress through the open world.
The Trailblazer is your ship in Star Wars Outlaws
In the gameplay trailer for Outlaws we get a good look at Vess’ starship, the Trailblazer. This blocky ship is a bit old, with its origins in the Republic era of the galaxy. Specifically, Ubisoft says it’s an EML 850 light freighter.
Once players enter space, devs say things become more about exploration and dogfighting against Imperial and criminal starships. But the ship isn’t just a way to kill stuff and fly around. For Vess, it’s also her only real home in the galaxy.
Possible planets in Star Wars Outlaws
Toward the end of the trailer, we get a few looks at what appear to be different planets that will be in the game. Two planets in particular stood out to me. At the very end, we see Vess and her pet Nix standing on a hill and looking out at a city. This looks a lot like Kijimi, a cold planet seen first in Star Wars: Episode IX -The Rise of Skywalker.
In the gameplay trailer, we see what appears to be this same planet up close and it looks nearly identical to how Kijimi looked in Rise of Skywalker. As for the other planet I noticed…
Star Wars Outlaws might contain some Sequel-era planets
Near the very end of the trailer, we see a tough-looking dude in (another) awesome-looking coat. He is standing in a large opening overlooking a very rich and opulent city. I think this might be Canto Bight, the gambling-filled city first seen in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.
It makes sense that criminals looking to pull off heists might visit one of the richest cities in the galaxy to make some easy credits.
If Canto Bight and Kijimi are in fact in Outlaws, it would be a nice nod toward the future of the series, while the Prequel-era references help connect this new game to the franchise’s past. It’s like poetry, etc. One more planet I spotted in the gameplay trailer is Akiva, a world first introduced in the Aftermath novels.
Is that Jabba’s Rancor!?
Yes, that’s a rancor. Now, it could just be a random rancor, as these creatures often appear in games and comics as large, deadly enemies for our heroes to defeat.
But considering the time period of the game — it’s set before Return of the Jedi — and Outlaws’ focus on criminals, I think this could be Jabba’s rancor. It looks a lot like it, and the area it’s in seems similar to the dark pit we first see it in during Return of the Jedi. If so, you’ll be unable to kill it, as Luke does that in the movie.
Star Wars Outlaws Is Out Next Year
While this trailer does provide some clues and hints at what to expect in next year’s big open-world Star Wars game, there’s still a lot we don’t know yet. How will the rebels factor into the story? Will you be able to choose to work for the Empire or different criminal syndicates? And where do all these people get their cool jackets from? We’ll just have to wait until 2024 to find out.
Kotaku is covering everything Summer Game Fest, from the main show on Thursday to other events happening throughout the next week. Whether you’re into larger-than-life triple-A games or intimate, offbeat indies, you can keep up with all things SGF here.
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